Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Panasonic GX8 is a Semi-Pro Mirrorless camera with a 20.0MP Four Thirds sensor whereas Pentax KP is a Semi-Pro DSLR camera with a 24.0MP APS-C sensor. Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious altenatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Panasonic GX8 and Pentax KP before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Panasonic GX8 is significantly lighter (216g ) than the Pentax KP which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Pentax KP has an APS-C sized sensor and Panasonic GX8 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Panasonic GX8's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Pentax KP lenses.

As seen above, Pentax KP has a 1.6x Larger sensor area than Panasonic GX8. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Panasonic GX8 and Pentax KP Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic GX8 and Pentax KP for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Pentax KP has an advantage over Panasonic GX8 There are 143 lenses for Pentax KP's Pentax KAF2 mount, on the other hand there are only 90 lenses for Panasonic GX8's Micro Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Both Panasonic GX8 and Pentax KP has Sensor based Image stabilization which means that all the lenses will be stabilized in these bodies.

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Panasonic GX8 and Pentax KP, below you can find their scores in five different aspects.
Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Panasonic GX8 and Pentax KP scores compare:

Panasonic GX8

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #3 out of 114 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless camerasRanked #47 out of 1131 in all Cameras

Pentax KP

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #23 out of 92 in Mid-size SLR camerasRanked #46 out of 1131 in all Cameras